There has been a long sought need for an adequate athletic supporter for women. Conventional brassieres do not meet the needs of women athletes. Such conventional brassieres have many drawbacks. When the wearer is involved in strenuous athletic activity, there is a tendency for the straps to fall. Furthermore, most conventional brassieres have hardware of some sort, such as hooks for opening and closing the brassiere, underwires, and adjusting bands. Such hardware has a tendency to dig into the body during athletic activity and to be generally quite uncomfortable.
Furthermore, in conventional brassieres, there are seams on the inside of the brassiere which chafe and become very uncomfortable with athletic activity. This is particularly true for such seams on the inside of the cups. Similarly, the usual fabric used for brassieres can become quite irritating when underwires are present and these can cut into the body upon strenuous activity.
Particular problems are faced by female runners, particularly those with relatively large breasts. These problems include the constant bouncing of their breasts which causes breakdown of the breast tissue resulting in premature and unsightly sagging of the breasts; such bouncing also may be bad for the muscles. Another problem is the abrasion caused by the breasts rubbing against the fabric of the runner's clothes. It is not uncommon for marathoners to actually bleed from the nipples after having finished a race.
An adequate supportive and comfortable brassiere for women athletes, particularly runners, has heretofore been absent from the market.
Brassieres are known in the prior art which individually exhibit one or more of the features of the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,632 discloses a brassiere having no hardware which is donned by stepping thereinto or by slipping over the shoulders. This brassiere, however, is not designed for use during athletic activities and does not have the wide rib band of the present invention. Furthermore, the seams are on the inside and the cups are designed to shape the breasts. The straps do not cross in the back.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,669 discloses a brassiere the straps of which may cross in the back. However, this brassiere includes hardware for opening the brassiere at the front and adjusting the straps. A wide rib band is not provided in the front of the brassiere, and the cups are not designed to hold the breasts snugly to the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,140 also teaches a brassiere which crosses in the back but which has hardware and opens in the front. It is specifically designed, however, to eliminate any rib band.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,279 teaches a knit seamless brassiere. However, the straps do not cross in the back and the other features of the present invention are not disclosed thereby.
Halter tops made of leotard type material have been used for athletic support by women but such tops do not provide adequate support, particularly for large-breasted women.
Thus, while various individual features of the present invention are known per se, only by combining the particular features of the present invention in the manner disclosed herein is it possible to accomplish the objects of the present invention.